i'm so excited that my kitchen stuff has arrived that i am inventing reasons to host dinner parties.

what do you do when it's raining and almost halloween and you have a handful of new girlfriends and a new apartment, too?

you make a big batch of homemade chili and cornbread, invite those girlfriends over to that new apartment, and watch hocus pocus. 

and you don't bother with dessert because you know that one of those girlfriends will.

**p.s. in case you are wondering about recipes, i used this recipe for cornbread (thank you, mrs. harding) and angie used this recipe for dessert. and this is how you make the chili, courtesy of christy:

3 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
4 lbs lean ground beef
2-28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
3-15 oz cans tomato sauce
2 c water
4 T chili powder
2 T dry mustard
1 t ground cumin
2 t oregano
1 T rosemary
3 T curry powder
1 T cinnamon
1 T cocoa
2 T paprika
1 T salt
1-39 oz can kidney beans
1 T sugar
1 dash cayenne pepper
2 c shredded sharp cheddar
1 large sweet onion, chopped

In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink. Add all remaining ingredients, except cheese and sweet onion. More chili powder may be added, if desired. Bring chili to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for one hour. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with cheese, sweet onion, sour cream, etc.

**Notes: This recipe serves 12, so I cut it in half. Also, I don't love/don't own curry, so I left it out. Enjoy!